Case Number 06749: Small Claims Court

Boohbah: Hot Dog

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All Rise...

Terrifying! Horrific! Nightmarish! And no, Judge Patrick Naugle isn't reassured by your pointing out that this is a TV show for preschoolers.

The Charge

"I'm scared / You're scared / Let's all be scared together."

The Case

I have reviewed over 800 DVDs for DVD Verdict. I have sat through a few great
movies, a lot of good ones, tons of bad ones, and a fair amount of complete
stinkers. But I have never sat through anything like Boohbah: Hot
Dog.

Listen, I know that kids like weird stuff. Heck, I like weird stuff.
But what in the name of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood is this crap? Is
this really what kids like today? Boohbah: Hot Dog scared me, and I don't
scare easily. If you put me in a room and made me watch The Exorcist, then Boohbah: Hot
Dog, my shorts would stay clean for the first two hours, then soil during
the last one. Why? Because the five colorful characters in Boohbah: Hot
Dog are the stuff nightmares are made of.

Just what are the Boohbah people/animals/creatures/aliens? I have no idea
what they're supposed to be. They look like pear-shaped aliens devoid of any
neck muscles. You never see their faces, only their eyes…dear God, all you
see are their eyes! Do you have any idea how creepy it is to only see
their eyes? I wonder if the people who came up with these things knew how
scary it is when you can only see something's eyes. Each of the Boohbahs is a
different color. All of their bodies are shaped like Roseanne Barr on her worst
weight month. Their eyebrows light up and their eyes shift back and forth in a
way that made my blood curdle.

There are three episodes on this disc, each one with a minimum of language.
Most of the segments are done with inane song and dance numbers, or through odd
pantomime. At one point, two elderly people eat a giant hot dog in a field. By
the end of their feast, they are covered with red ketchup. I cannot adequately
describe how weird this whole segment ended up being. In another, various
characters (with names like "Mr. Man" and "Brother and
Sister") play musical instruments on a beach…and they play them very
poorly.

The three Boohbah episodes included here, if you dare, are:

• "Hot Dog" Scrunch up and stretch out big with
the Boohbahs, and do the jumping Bungee Boo dance. In Storyworld, Grandpappa
finds a tasty hot dog, but will he end up red-faced when he takes a bite?

• "Musical Instruments" Be wide and thin with the
Boohbahs, and make some magical marching moves. In Storyworld, the Storypeople
are trying to play their musical instruments, but will Grandmamma drum up a
noteworthy performance from them all?

• "Woolly Sweater" Rock back & forth with the
Boohbahs and do some silly arm swings. In Storyworld, Mrs. Lady discovers a
yellow woolly sweater. But can she wear it without a snag?

And then there are the Boohbah dance numbers, which appear to have been
pulled straight out of one of Salvador Dali's darkest paintings. The Boohbah
arrive from—and, by the end, descend into—cocoon-like pods that make
the whole thing seem like Invasion of
the Body Snatchers on crack.

Maybe your kids like this stuff. I don't know. All I know is that I watched
each episode with my mouth slung open, unable to comprehend what was going on in
front of me. What are the Boohbah? What are they supposed to be doing? Why are
they dancing? And those eyes…oh, those evil, all-knowing eyes.

Boohbah: Hot Dog is presented, inexplicably, in 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen. Great…out of all the good movies and TV shows out there in
crappy full frame, this is what gets a widescreen transfer. Well, the
good news is that overall the picture is in great shape. The colors (oh, those
swirling, odd colors) are all bright and clear. And that's all I have to say
about this transfer.

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo in English. There
isn't much to say about this soundtrack—it's front-heavy, which is good
news, since if it was 5.1 and that dang music had been pumped through all of the
speakers…well, it would have driven me to the nuthouse. Also included are
English subtitles.

The extra features on Boohbah: Hot Dog include a "Look What I
Can Do" dance video, a special message from creator Anne Wood to parents,
and a preview of what's new on DVD from PBS Home Video.